Heinz Kinigadner
Heinz Kinigadner | |
---|---|
Kinigadner in 2009 | |
Nationality | Austrian |
Born |
28 January 1960 (age 56) Uderns, Tyrol, Austria |
Motocross career | |
Years active | 1978 - 1988 |
Teams | KTM |
Championships | 250cc - 1984, 1985 |
Wins | 7 |
Heinz Kinigadner (born 28 January 1960 in Uderns, Tyrol) is an Austrian former motocross racer. He was one of the top riders in the Motocross Grand Prix World Championships during the mid-1980s.
Biography
He was the F.I.M. 250cc Motocross World Champion in 1984 and 1985 while riding for the KTM factory racing team.[1] After his motocross career, Kinigadner began competing in off road races such as the Paris to Dakar rally. He also serves as a sporting director for KTM. After his younger brother and son were paralyzed in accidents, Kinigadner helped start the Wings for Life foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for spinal cord injuries. Heinz also has a stake in the KTM Sport-motorcycle Corporation. Being the first Austrian World Motocross Champion racing on the Austrian KTM made him a national hero in his home country.
He is co-founder of the Wings for Life foundation that supports spinal cord research together with Dietrich Mateschitz. Since 2014 the foundation has organised the Wings for Life World Run to raise funds.[2]